Partnerships will continue to be crucial for Guyana’s defence strategy – Pres Ali

– reiterates importance of collaboration in training, technology

Guyana’s strategic defence partnerships were given increased importance when Venezuela began escalating its aggression last year, and according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, these partnerships will continue to play a major role in Guyana’s defence strategy.
During last week’s opening of the Annual Officers’ Conference, President Ali spoke of the Government’s investment in technology that would not only allow the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to boost its defence capaabilities, but also better synergize with its defence partners.

“The integration of technology in our work is going to become more and more intense. We’re going to invest more heavily in technology. Partnerships: Partnership does not just happen; we invest in partnerships. When you look at the type of visits we’re having, the types of visits, our engagements with our friends, building this partnership is hard work. Investing time, resources in building the partnerships, it is hard work, but this is critical for our defence strategy. Identifying who our partners are, continuously building those partnerships.”
According to the President, Guyana’s ability to coordinate with its defence partners is important, and as such, investment in assets is a direction in which Guyana must go. Only this year, the GDF was given a disbursement of $42.2 billion in the 2024 budget, an increase of 85 per cent.
The President continued, “Synergy. It is not only investing in assets, but investing in assets and technology that offer us synergy with our partners and our allies, so that we’ll have seamless integration when needed. So, synergy is very important. The style of training, the type of training, training together with our partners, understanding cultural gaps and work ethics. So, synergy is very important,” the President further said.
Meanwhile, GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Omar Khan also alluded to these partnerships in his address to the gathered officers. According to him, 2023 was a year spent, among other things, strengthening old partnerships and forging new ones.
“In reference to the operating environment alluded to earlier, I wish to state, Commander in Chief, that notwithstanding the challenges of 2023, we’ve had several pluses. We have built new strategic relationships; strengthened existing ones; and hosted several defence conferences and events, including the annual United States-sponsored exercise which we co-hosted, Exercise Tradewinds, in 2023. We also held strategic and operational dialogues, and continue to train and equip our officers and ranks with the relevant skills to best serve and protect our nation,” Khan detailed.
The GDF Chief-of-Staff had met with top officials of the Brazil Ministry of Defense in December in an aim to expand and solidify relations between the two nations. The GDF, in a statement, had detailed, “The purpose of this visit went beyond routine military exchanges and training, focusing instead on a strategic discourse aimed at expanding and solidifying relations between the two nations.”
In light of the aggression shown at the time by Venezuela in its attempt to annex Essequibo, which is 2/3 of Guyana, this meeting had marked a crucial step in diversifying the ties between Guyana and Brazil, taking those ties beyond conventional military cooperation.
In the weeks leading up to this meeting, the Chief of Staff had also had engagements with several high-profile military personnel from various countries. In fact, Khan had hosted a Military Partners Day to recognize the invaluable support from esteemed international allies, and it saw military collaborators from France, the United States, Brazil, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada in attendance.
As part of the activity, several officers who had benefitted from training opportunities facilitated by these partnerships conducted presentations that acknowledged the diverse areas of training received.
The event also emphasized the collaborative endeavours undertaken by the GDF alongside its international partners. Representatives from each collaborating nation were present, fostering diplomatic ties and deepening the understanding of shared objectives.
Also in November, the leaderships of the United States Army’s 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) and the GDF had met as part of the United States and Guyana’s strong military-to-military partnership. The two military partners discussed upcoming engagements to include strategic planning sessions and processes to enhance both countries’ military readiness and capabilities to respond to security threats.
The U.S. and Guyana enjoy a longstanding security partnership, marked by strong collaboration between SOUTHCOM and the GDF, and focused on disaster preparedness, humanitarian assistance, maritime security, human rights, professional development, defence and public-security missions, and countering transnational crime. (G-3)